Page 37 of Blood and Wine

I cradle her face in my hands. It’s too late to save us both, but I can take one last shot at saving her. If there was ever a time for Katherine’s vision to be wrong, I pray it’s now.

“Mariah, I need you to listen to me. My blood is in the wine. It’s what triggered your powers, and now Edward wants to turn you into a vampire so he can steal your blood like he’s stolen mine. He thinks you’re clairvoyant, like your mother, and he wants that power for himself.”

“Will...” She shakes her head. “You’re confused.”

“I’m not confused. I’m trying to save your life.” This is too much for her right now, but she needs to hear it, and I have to say it because Isabella’s right.

I do love Mariah, more than anything.

I don’t know when it happened exactly. Sometime between our first dance and our first kiss. She got under my skin, and from there, my love for her grew like vines around the trellis of my ribs.

There’s no point in trying to fight or deny it. I love her, and I’m willing to risk sounding like a madman to save her.

“You have to get as far away from here as possible,” I tell her.

“Will, my family’s here.You’rehere. I’m not leaving either of you.”

“You have to.” I grasp her shoulders. “Edward is coming for you—”

“Even if that one part of this insane story is true, I can take care of myself. You saw what I did to the wine, to Christopher.”

“It won’t matter. If you stay here, you will die. He will force me to kill you.”

She takes a step back. “Will, you’re scaring me.”

“You should be scared.” I don’t want to do this, but I have no choice. She needs to see the truth with her own eyes.

Focusing on my gums, I will my fangs to extend.

Mariah’s eyes widen. She gasps.

“This isn’t funny, Will. Stop it.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” I move forward, faster than her eyes can detect, until I’m looming over her. “This is what will happen if you don’t leave tonight. Only, next time, you won’t wake up.”

I hate myself for what I’m about to do to her but biting her now won’t kill her or even leave scars. Not physical ones, at least. I won’t blame her one bit if she never wants to see me again after this—

Pain shoots up my arms, sharp and debilitating. At first, I think it’s Katherine trying to stop me from biting Mariah. Then I realize the pain’s stemming from my physical body.

I’ve been so distracted that I didn’t even notice Edward’s approach.

Mariah calls my name and it sounds like she’s standing at the other end of a long tunnel.

I come back to myself, chained to the stone wall, two very thick needles shoved into my veins, and the rim of a metal cup jammed into my mouth.

“As I suspected,” Edward says, continuing a conversation I’m only now becoming a part of. “Milking venom from a vampire really isn’t all that different from milking it out of a snake.”

I bite down on the metal cup, puncturing it. Edward rips the cup away.

“That’s enough,” he says. “I only needed a few drops, anyway.” He pours my saliva into a small glass tube, then caps it. “So sorry for the delay in feeding. I won’t have a fresh one for you for a few days.”

I can smell the bags of donor blood he’s brought with him. They’re slightly past their prime, but even so, I salivate. I know exactly who he intends to drag in here in a few days, just in time for her eighteenth birthday.

“She won’t turn,” I croak. He shoots me one of his signature how-the-hell-did-you-guess looks. “I’ll drain her dry before I let you have her.”

“You think I’m just going to throw her in here with you and wait for nature to take its course?” Edward chuckles. “Turning is a science, William, much like winemaking. I wouldn’t toss a bunch of random grapes in a barrel and call it Merlot, and I’m not stupid enough to let you anywhere near my investment.”

He switches out a full jar of my blood for an empty one. I’m surprised I have enough in me to fill one jar, let alone multiples.

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